Posts Tagged ‘special message’

Mayor Rob Ford about to weigh-in Monday at the Cut the Waist Challenge (Photo by Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun)

As TTC chair Karen Stintz handed in a letter signed by 24 councillors demanding a special meeting (an unprecedented move at Toronto City Hall), Mayor Rob Ford was busy weighing in as part of his Cut the Waist challenge.

Ford refused to take questions at the weigh-in despite the swirling controversy and what some councillors have called a transit “crisis” in the city.

The meeting – set for Wednesday – is expected to derail Ford’s transit plans and call for a return to the Transit City plan the mayor cancelled. If that happens, Toronto could have a transit plan its own mayor doesn’t support.

But Ford doesn’t seem to be going down without a fight.

The mayor’s office sent out an email blast to supporters last night urging them to call their councillors to “express their views on underground rapid transit.”

The full Ford email is below:

A Special Message from Mayor Rob Ford

Dear Friends,

Today, 24 City Councillors signed a petition that will allow for a special meeting of City Council this Wednesday.

At issue is my plan to expand rapid transit with the underground Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown, the Sheppard subway expansion and enhanced express bus service on Finch.

Many Councillors are looking to disband my rapid transit plan in favour of a Light Rail Vehicle network that would put more tracks on the roads, create traffic chaos and result in years of needless, messy and inconvenient construction.

Over the past number of weeks you have been updated with the facts on rapid transit. It is now time for Toronto residents to express their views on underground rapid transit.

Don Peat

Don Peat is the City Hall bureau chief for the Toronto Sun. He covers municipal affairs at Toronto City Hall, a beat that has him writing about everything from garbage to transit to taxes to multimillion-dollar spending scandals.